Friday, June 23, 2006
Viewers Tune In For....News Thursday Night
CNN attracted more eyeballs than usual Thursday night with its coverage of the terror arrests. According to numbers posted by TV Newser (supplied by FNC) CNN was over the million viewer mark for nearly 3 hours in a row. LKL total viewers were at 1,078,000; 1,056,000 viewers for the first hour of AC 360 and 1,065,000 total viewers for the second hour. Please note AC 360 beat the rerun of the O'rielly Factor on FNC, in the total viewers AND demo. The Factor rerun had only 764,000 total viewers Thursday night.
# posted by ATN @ 9:24 PM 
Too Many Slogans for CNN?
Bella Depaulo seems to think that CNN has too much sloganeering. Here's a bit of the rant: "So, just when sloganeering has so sullied the political discourse that even politicians are beginning to resist it, CNN has decided to embrace it. The network seems to want us to believe that they have the best political team and the most reliable news about security because they said so (again and again).
Maybe I should regard this sloganeering in the newsroom as innocuous. Perhaps the greatest threat is that it can come back to mock the organizations that practice it. (Need I mention "fair and balanced"?)
I'm not so sure. Sloganeering is a mental short cut, designed to bypass deep thinking. It is a test that tells you the answer before you even get to read the question. Isn't that exactly the opposite of what journalism is supposed to be about?"
Read the full article HERE.
Maybe I should regard this sloganeering in the newsroom as innocuous. Perhaps the greatest threat is that it can come back to mock the organizations that practice it. (Need I mention "fair and balanced"?)
I'm not so sure. Sloganeering is a mental short cut, designed to bypass deep thinking. It is a test that tells you the answer before you even get to read the question. Isn't that exactly the opposite of what journalism is supposed to be about?"
Read the full article HERE.
# posted by ATN @ 9:16 PM
HLN Gets New Sports Anchor
According to TV Spy, Mary Jo Perino has joined CNN/Headline News as a sports anchor. Perino comes to HLN from WLEX in Lexington, Kentucky. HERE's her archived bio at LEX18.com.# posted by ATN @ 8:55 PM
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
CNN Wins Two Murrows
The 2006 Edward R. Murrow Award winners have been announced. CNN has picked up two. One for News Documentary: CNN, CNN Presents: Autism is a World; and Videography: CNN, Candlepin Bowling. View the complete list of award winners HERE.
# posted by ATN @ 9:48 PM
Jolie Helps AC Bring in the Numbers
Anderson Cooper's interview with Angelina Jolie helped him bring in the viewers for CNN Tuesday night. According to numbers posted by TV Newser (and provided by FNC) AC 360 beat FNC in total viewers and the demo Tuesday night. ALSO the interview helped CNN beat FNC in the demo for the entire evening. I bet Greta what's her name and Bill O'reilly are kicking themselves in the rear about right now.
# posted by ATN @ 8:54 PM
Turner Cuts Staffers at Court TV
Source: Broadcasting and Cable A month after acquiring Court TV, Turner Broadcasting started swinging the ax at the network, terminating around 50 employees.
The layoffs came in departments that Turner handles centrally at the corporate level, including affiliate sales, accounting, legal and public relations. But Turner lets individual networks handle their own programming, production and marketing, so Court TV employees in those areas were left largely untouched.
Some employees of New York-based Court TV were offered new slots at Turner's Atlanta HQ, but virtually all passed. Turner took over operations of the network after parent company Time Warner bought the 50% of the network it didn't already own from Liberty Media. Before the deal, Court TV had approximately 400 employees.
The layoffs came in departments that Turner handles centrally at the corporate level, including affiliate sales, accounting, legal and public relations. But Turner lets individual networks handle their own programming, production and marketing, so Court TV employees in those areas were left largely untouched.
Some employees of New York-based Court TV were offered new slots at Turner's Atlanta HQ, but virtually all passed. Turner took over operations of the network after parent company Time Warner bought the 50% of the network it didn't already own from Liberty Media. Before the deal, Court TV had approximately 400 employees.
# posted by ATN @ 2:10 PM
AC Wants No Part of Partisan Reporting
Broadcasting and Cable interviews Anderson Cooper on his style of storytelling. In the article Cooper says, "My job is to be an observer, get the facts and answer the questions." Read the full article HERE.
# posted by ATN @ 1:57 PM
CNN Gulf Coast Bureau Moves into Permanent Location
Source: CNN Press Release Demonstrating its continuing commitment to covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for the long term, CNN has moved its Gulf Coast bureau from makeshift quarters into a permanent location in New Orleans, it was announced today by Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S.
The grand opening of the headquarters comes in the same month that CNN received a George Foster Peabody award in recognition of its outstanding coverage of the historic storm and its aftermath. Long after the storm hit the Gulf Coast, the network remained in the region. CNN has broadcast more than 500 reports and updates, several documentaries and extensive live coverage during Mardi Gras celebrations. In addition, Anderson Cooper 360° originated more than three dozen of its shows from the region.
“No real news organization could walk away when there’s still so much important reporting to be done,” Klein said. “Our investigations keep turning up personal greed and official incompetence on a massive scale, as well as daily examples of resilience, resourcefulness and courage. We have a duty to America to cover stories like these.”
The network first opened the bureau in September in a temporary location in New Orleans. The permanent Gulf Coast bureau, located in downtown New Orleans on Poydras Street, serves as a fully functional hub for ten correspondents, photojournalists and a production crew. The site houses the network’s new Gulf satellite truck and a studio outfitted for live reports.
John Sears, a longtime local news executive who kept New Orleans station WDSU on the air in the wake of Katrina, serves as the CNN Gulf Coast bureau chief. Correspondent Susan Roesgen was recruited from her position as an anchor at WGNO-TV in New Orleans, for which she reported through the thick of Katrina. Correspondent Sean Callebs and photojournalist Ken Tillis relocated from CNN’s Denver bureau. Photojournalist Kevin Myers and broadcast engineer Michael Humphrey relocated from CNN’s Chicago bureau, and assignment editor Belinda Hernandez had been a local assignment editor at both WDSU and WWL in New Orleans.
“The CNN Gulf Coast bureau has the luxury of having journalists with extensive local knowledge and experience in New Orleans and across the coast,” Sears said. “In addition, our staff has the added advantage of hazardous duty experience, covering disasters and recovery efforts across the country. They were more than ready to cover this region when this bureau opened last year.”
The grand opening of the headquarters comes in the same month that CNN received a George Foster Peabody award in recognition of its outstanding coverage of the historic storm and its aftermath. Long after the storm hit the Gulf Coast, the network remained in the region. CNN has broadcast more than 500 reports and updates, several documentaries and extensive live coverage during Mardi Gras celebrations. In addition, Anderson Cooper 360° originated more than three dozen of its shows from the region.
“No real news organization could walk away when there’s still so much important reporting to be done,” Klein said. “Our investigations keep turning up personal greed and official incompetence on a massive scale, as well as daily examples of resilience, resourcefulness and courage. We have a duty to America to cover stories like these.”
The network first opened the bureau in September in a temporary location in New Orleans. The permanent Gulf Coast bureau, located in downtown New Orleans on Poydras Street, serves as a fully functional hub for ten correspondents, photojournalists and a production crew. The site houses the network’s new Gulf satellite truck and a studio outfitted for live reports.
John Sears, a longtime local news executive who kept New Orleans station WDSU on the air in the wake of Katrina, serves as the CNN Gulf Coast bureau chief. Correspondent Susan Roesgen was recruited from her position as an anchor at WGNO-TV in New Orleans, for which she reported through the thick of Katrina. Correspondent Sean Callebs and photojournalist Ken Tillis relocated from CNN’s Denver bureau. Photojournalist Kevin Myers and broadcast engineer Michael Humphrey relocated from CNN’s Chicago bureau, and assignment editor Belinda Hernandez had been a local assignment editor at both WDSU and WWL in New Orleans.
“The CNN Gulf Coast bureau has the luxury of having journalists with extensive local knowledge and experience in New Orleans and across the coast,” Sears said. “In addition, our staff has the added advantage of hazardous duty experience, covering disasters and recovery efforts across the country. They were more than ready to cover this region when this bureau opened last year.”
# posted by ATN @ 12:04 PM
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
CNN Anchor and NBC Newsman Not So Popular with one Yankees Fan
This from the today's DC Post: "Tim Russert and Wolf Blitzer , getting heckled by a Yankees fan at Friday's Nats game. The newsmen, sitting separately in prime seats behind home dugout, endured calls of "Hey, Wolfman!" and "Hey, Timmy!" all night from a gentleman with an outer-borough accent several rows back. When Blitzer pecked a young girl on the cheek: "Hey, Wolf, get a room!" When Russert stood up, revealing his suit and tie: "Hey, Tim, loosen up! You're at a baseball game!""
# posted by ATN @ 11:58 AM
Monday, June 19, 2006
CNN Launches Suite of Free Video Podcasts
Source: CNN Press Release In another indication of CNN’s leadership and dominance across numerous platforms, CNN.com today announced the launch of six video podcasts, regularly updated newscasts and programming produced specifically for digital video players.
The video podcasts, in addition to CNN’s numerous audio podcasting products, are available for free at http://www.CNN.com/podcasting and at iTunes.
“For the most part, the podcasting audience skews much younger than CNN’s television viewers and, perhaps surprisingly, somewhat younger than even users of CNN.com. They were raised during the age of the Internet, not that of the 6 o’clock news,” said David Payne, senior vice president and general manager of CNN.com. “They don’t necessarily want to see polished newscasts, but they want to see the action and make judgments for themselves. So we have produced original podcasts in a format that appeals to their fast-paced lifestyles and varied interests.”
CNN producers designed each of the podcasts specifically for the small digital video player screen, although they may also be played on personal computers and other devices. The format also allowed CNN.com to offer programming with more raw footage, high-impact video, edgy humor and experimental content.
CNN’s video podcasts include: “All Access – Backstage Pass,” a raw, behind-the-scenes look at how CNN journalists get their stories; “Ask Glenn,” a video podcast companion to the Headline News’ primetime talk show Glenn Beck; and “The Grist,” a fast-paced, satirical take on the news of the week.
The launch of video podcasting marks the latest digital product from CNN. In June 2005, CNN.com began offering free video to all of its users. In December 2005, the site launched CNN Pipeline, an on-demand broadband video service that puts users in control of multiple live video streams, CNN’s video archives and on-demand news clips from CNN’s unmatched newsgathering operation around the world.
The video podcasts, in addition to CNN’s numerous audio podcasting products, are available for free at http://www.CNN.com/podcasting and at iTunes.
“For the most part, the podcasting audience skews much younger than CNN’s television viewers and, perhaps surprisingly, somewhat younger than even users of CNN.com. They were raised during the age of the Internet, not that of the 6 o’clock news,” said David Payne, senior vice president and general manager of CNN.com. “They don’t necessarily want to see polished newscasts, but they want to see the action and make judgments for themselves. So we have produced original podcasts in a format that appeals to their fast-paced lifestyles and varied interests.”
CNN producers designed each of the podcasts specifically for the small digital video player screen, although they may also be played on personal computers and other devices. The format also allowed CNN.com to offer programming with more raw footage, high-impact video, edgy humor and experimental content.
CNN’s video podcasts include: “All Access – Backstage Pass,” a raw, behind-the-scenes look at how CNN journalists get their stories; “Ask Glenn,” a video podcast companion to the Headline News’ primetime talk show Glenn Beck; and “The Grist,” a fast-paced, satirical take on the news of the week.
The launch of video podcasting marks the latest digital product from CNN. In June 2005, CNN.com began offering free video to all of its users. In December 2005, the site launched CNN Pipeline, an on-demand broadband video service that puts users in control of multiple live video streams, CNN’s video archives and on-demand news clips from CNN’s unmatched newsgathering operation around the world.
# posted by ATN @ 10:23 PM
